U.S. patent application number 10/749249 was filed with the patent office on 2005-03-03 for light-emitting device indicating location of outside door handle.
Invention is credited to Baek, Seung-Hyun.
Application Number | 20050047162 10/749249 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 34214769 |
Filed Date | 2005-03-03 |
United States Patent
Application |
20050047162 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Baek, Seung-Hyun |
March 3, 2005 |
Light-emitting device indicating location of outside door
handle
Abstract
A light-emitting device indicating a location of an outside door
handle comprising a lamp, detecting part, and control part, wherein
the lamp is disposed inside a pushbutton. The detecting part
detects whether the engine is activated or deactivated and whether
the door is opened or closed. The control part turns the lamp on
when the detecting part senses that the engine has stopped running
and the door has opened. The light-emitting device provides
illumination to the pushbutton at the outside door handle in order
for the driver, after having exited the vehicle, to easily locate
the pushbutton for locking the door in the dark.
Inventors: |
Baek, Seung-Hyun;
(Gyeonggi-do, KR) |
Correspondence
Address: |
MORGAN, LEWIS & BOCKIUS, LLP.
2 PALO ALTO SQUARE
3000 EL CAMINO REAL
PALO ALTO
CA
94306
US
|
Family ID: |
34214769 |
Appl. No.: |
10/749249 |
Filed: |
December 30, 2003 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
362/501 |
Current CPC
Class: |
B60Q 1/2669 20130101;
B60Q 3/267 20170201 |
Class at
Publication: |
362/501 |
International
Class: |
B60Q 001/26 |
Foreign Application Data
Date |
Code |
Application Number |
Sep 1, 2003 |
KR |
10-2003-0060717 |
Claims
What is claimed is:
1. A light-emitting device of an outside door handle of a vehicle,
comprising: a lamp disposed inside a pushbutton attached to the
external side of an outside door handle; a first detecting part for
detecting whether an engine is activated or deactivated and whether
a vehicle door is opened or closed; and a control part illuminating
said lamp when said first detecting part detects that the engine
has stopped running and the door has opened.
2. The device as defined in claim 1, further comprising a second
detecting part for detecting a locked state of the vehicle door,
wherein said control part turns said lamp off when said second
detecting part senses the locked door.
Description
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] This application claims priority to Korean Application No.
10-2003-0060717, filed on Sep. 1, 2003, the disclosure of which is
incorporated fully herein by reference.
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0002] Generally, the present invention relates to a door handle
for the outside of a vehicle door. More particularly, the door
handle has a pushbutton locking mechanism with a light-emitting
device inside the pushbutton.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0003] Typically, modern vehicles are designed to automatically
open and close vehicle doors and to activate and inactivate the
engine after verifying:the identity of the driver via a Personal
Identification Card (PIC). Thus, when the engine stops running and
the driver exits the PIC-used vehicle, the vehicle doors
automatically lock after a certain period of time.
[0004] In a vehicle having a door lock with a pushbutton, the
driver can manually press the pushbutton attached to the external
side of an outside door handle. However, there is a drawback in
conventional vehicles with pushbuttons where the outside door
handle is plated with chromium and the pushbutton is typically
colored in black in that the driver has a hard time finding the
pushbutton of the outside door handle in the dark.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0005] Embodiments of the present invention provide a
light-emitting device in the outside door handle, wherein a lamp is
turned on when the engine is deactivated and the vehicle door is
opened, thereby facilitating vision of the exact location of the
pushbutton of the outside handle door.
[0006] In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, a
light-emitting device comprises a lamp, a first detecting part, and
a control part. The lamp is installed inside a pushbutton
configured to be mounted at an external side of an outside door
handle. The first detecting part detects whether the engine is
activated or deactivated and whether the vehicle door is opened or
closed. The control part illuminates the lamp when the first
detecting part detects that the engine has stopped running and the
door has opened.
[0007] The light-emitting device further comprises a second
detecting part for detecting the locked state of the door. The
control part turns the lamp off when the second detecting part
senses a locked door, thereby preventing the pushbutton of the
outside door handle from emitting light once the door is
locked.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0008] For a better understanding of the nature and objects of the
present invention, reference should be made to the following
detailed description with the accompanying drawings, in which:
[0009] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an outside door handle
including a light-emitting device according to an embodiment of the
present invention;
[0010] FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along line A-A of
FIG. 1;
[0011] FIG. 3 is a circuit diagram of a light-emitting device
indicating the location of an outside door handle according to an
embodiment of the present invention; and
[0012] FIG. 4 is an operational method of a light-emitting device
indicating the location of an outside door handle according to an
embodiment of the present invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
[0013] As shown in FIGS. 1, 2, and 3, a light-emitting device
indicating the location of an outside door handle comprises a lamp
20 and a control part 30, wherein the lamp 20 is installed at an
outside door handle 10 and the control part 30 turns the lamp 20 on
and off. The lamp 20 is disposed inside a pushbutton 11 attached to
the outside door handle 10. The lamp 20 is further connected to a
power device 22 and control part 30 via wire 21. The power device
22 provides a power source for the lamp 20 while the lamp 20 is
turned on. According to a preferred embodiment, a Light Emitting
diode (LED) bulb is commonly used as the lamp 20 for providing
light to the pushbutton 11. Thus, the location of the pushbutton 11
is indicated by the lamp 20 in dark conditions.
[0014] The control part 30 includes an outputting part 32,
inputting part 31, and decision part 33 as shown in FIG. 3. The
outputting part 32 outputs a light-on signal or a light-off signal
to the lamp 20. The inputting part 31 detects whether the engine is
activated or deactivated and whether the vehicle door is opened or
closed. The decision part 33 analyzes the signal inputted from the
inputting part 31 and orders the outputting part 32 to output
either a light-on signal or a light-off signal. A key insertion
switch 41, door opening and closing switch 42, and door locking
switch 43 are used to detect the on/off state of the engine and
opened/closed state of the vehicle door.
[0015] The operation of the light-emitting device indicating a
location of the outside door handle according to the present
invention will now be described.
[0016] With reference to FIGS. 3 and 4, if the engine stops
running, the key insertion switch 41 is turned off, and if the
driver opens the door to exit the vehicle, the door opening and
closing switch 42 is activated. The inputting part 31 detects the
status of key insertion switch 41 and door opening and closing
switch 42 and inputs this information to the decision part 33 (step
10). The decision part 33 outputs a light-on signal to the lamp 20
through the outputting part 32 when the engine is stopped and the
door is opened. The location of the pushbutton 11 at the external
side of the outside door handle 10 is indicated by turning on the
lamp 20 (step 20), thus allowing the driver to easily locate the
pushbutton 11 in the dark to lock the door.
[0017] When the driver pushes the pushbutton 11, the door locking
switch 43 is turned on. The inputting part 31 of the control part
30 continuously detects the state of the door locking switch 43,
and once the door locking switch 43 is turned on, the inputting
part 31 inputs this information to the decision part 33 (step 30).
If it is determined that the door locking switch 43 is turned on,
the decision part 33 outputs a light-off signal through the
outputting part 32 to the lamp 20 for turning off the lamp 20.
Provided that the door is locked, the lamp 20 is turned off (step
40).
[0018] As apparent from the foregoing, there is an advantage in
that the light-emitting device indicating a location of an outside
door handle includes a lamp inside the pushbutton for being turned
on when the engine stops running and the door is opened. A control
part detects whether the engine is activated or deactivated and
whether the vehicle door is open or closed for outputting a
light-on signal to the lamp while the engine is deactivated and the
door is opened and for outputting a light-off signal to the lamp
when the door is detected to be in a locked state, thereby allowing
the driver to easily locate the light-emitting pushbutton in order
to lock the vehicle door.
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